Chronic Darkness
by TigerKnightess
Summary: The shadows have always been a friend of the Batman Family...but their long time ally has been turned against them, and the stealthy heroes can no longer rely on the protective umbra of the night. (This is an alternate universe, so the events of this story do not match up perfectly with the comics, ie: Batgirl is never crippled, etc...)


**Chapter One**

**Dick**

Dick Grayson had never been one to underestimate his opponent. He never let appearances deceive him, and he was very rarely outsmarted. Just like the man who trained him, he stuck to the shadows. Wasn't reckless. Never overconfident. And these precautions usually rewarded the young Nightwing.

But somehow, someway, it hadn't been enough. Now, the universe as he knew it was endangered. The timeline was mere minutes away from being obliterated. In seconds, Nightwing could cease to exist. Or maybe he would still exist, but he wouldn't be Nightwing anymore. Maybe in the new timeline, he would be a slave. Whatever happened to him, it wouldn't be good.

Because Dick Grayson was up against an enemy who intended to rewrite history.

"Thank you, Nightwing," Chronica smirked as he started to step through the time portal. "I couldn't have done it without you."

_How could I have been so stupid?! _Nightwing scolded himself. _Where did it all go wrong?_

A couple of days ago. That's when.

Dick had been working on one of the most demanding investigations of his life. And that is saying _a lot_, considering how many demanding investigations Nightwing has worked on before. A new threat, Chronica, had popped up in Gotham. Nightwing had been on his trail for months. Whoever this Chronica person was, he could cover up his tracks like no one else. Rarely had Nightwing come across a man who could elude him for this long.

"When was the last time you _slept_?" Barbara asked incredulously. "_Last year_?"

"I got three whole hours of sleep a couple of nights ago," Dick replied. "That's all I need."

"Let me take over, Dick. You've been working so hard, lately," Barbara insisted.

"Why do you bother offering to take over when you already know that the answer is 'no'?"

"I wish I knew the answer to that," Barbara crossed her arms, leaning against a table. "You've become just like him, you know."

"_Somebody_'s got to take over for him while he's away."

"Do you have any idea where he went?"

"No. And I doubt we'll find him until he's good and ready. Nobody can find the Batman unless he wants them to," Dick replied, his eyes scanning the Batcave computer screen intently.

Barbara sighed, "Alright. I need to get out there and fight something. Feel free to join me if you want to get out of this stuffy old cave."

Dick didn't reply.

Bruce wasn't usually like this. It wasn't like him to just disappear when a major threat popped up in Gotham. Dick, Jason, Tim, Barbara, Damien...none of the Batman family ever gave up, and Bruce was certainly no exception.

As Dick continued to study Chronica's recent criminal activity, he felt something strange. It was almost a hunch; an instinct. Dick rarely went solely by instinct without even the slightest bit of evidence or reason to back it up. But this feeling...it felt like it went deeper than a hunch. And suddenly the possibility hit Dick. How had he not seen it earlier?

But no...that didn't make any sense. It had to be something else. Dick refused to accept the conclusion he had arrived at. Denial pushed the thought out of his head, and he wiped his memory clean of the contemplation. Knowledge became a blood-curdling nightmare, and Dick almost wished he had kept himself in the dark. It was uncommon for Dick to deny anything...denial never helped a situation. But this...this was too much even for him.

_Maybe Barbara is right, _he rubbed his temples._ Maybe I'm overreacting. I'm over-thinking this. I just need to kick some criminal butt to clear my head. _

The streets of Gotham were surprisingly safe. Which was almost as disturbing as the high rate of crime this city routinely suffered through. But not only was the amount of _crime_ at a record low, but the number of civilians as well.

"Almost as though everyone were hiding," Batgirl observed, materializing seemingly out of thin air. Nightwing didn't even blink. By now, he was very much accustomed to the clandestine arrivals and departures of those of the Batman family.

"Chronica," Nightwing guessed. "They're hiding from him."

"He's really that powerful, huh?" Batgirl crossed her arms. "And you plan to take him on alone."

"If he's as dangerous as he seems-"

"Then you can use all the help you can get! Don't you dare try to keep us out of this for our protection, Dick. We all knew the risks of choosing this life when we put on the mask. We still do. And just because you were the first of us doesn't mean you get to shut us out whenever things get a little more hazardous than usual. We're in this together. Tim, Jason, _all of us_. Whether you like it or not."

"Barbara," Dick smiled. "You think I would keep the fun all to myself? I wouldn't dream of it."


End file.
